Classification with Minimax Fast Rates for Classes of Bayes Rules with Sparse Representation

We construct a classifier which attains the rate of convergence $\log n/n$ under sparsity and margin assumptions. An approach close to the one met in approximation theory for the estimation of function is used to obtain this result. The idea is to develop the Bayes rule in a fundamental system of $L^2([0,1]^d)$ made of indicator of dyadic sets and to assume that coefficients, equal to $-1,0 {or} 1$, belong to a kind of $L^1-$ball. This assumption can be seen as a sparsity assumption, in the sense that the proportion of coefficients non equal to zero decreases as "frequency" grows. Finally, rates of convergence are obtained by using an usual trade-off between a bias term and a variance term

S2: An Efficient Graph Based Active Learning Algorithm with Application to Nonparametric Classification

This paper investigates the problem of active learning for binary label prediction on a graph. We introduce a simple and label-efficient algorithm called S2 for this task. At each step, S2 selects the vertex to be labeled based on the structure of the graph and all previously gathered labels. Specifically, S2 queries for the label of the vertex that bisects the *shortest shortest* path between any pair of oppositely labeled vertices. We present a theoretical estimate of the number of queries S2 needs in terms of a novel parametrization of the complexity of binary functions on graphs. We also present experimental results demonstrating the performance of S2 on both real and synthetic data. While other graph-based active learning algorithms have shown promise in practice, our algorithm is the first with both good performance and theoretical guarantees. Finally, we demonstrate the implications of the S2 algorithm to the theory of nonparametric active learning. In particular, we show that S2 achieves near minimax optimal excess risk for an important class of nonparametric classification problems.Comment: A version of this paper appears in the Conference on Learning Theory (COLT) 201

Risk Bounds for Embedded Variable Selection in Classification Trees

International audienceThe problems of model and variable selections for classification trees are jointly considered. A penalized criterion is proposed which explicitly takes into account the number of variables, and a risk bound inequality is provided for the tree classifier minimizing this criterion. This penalized criterion is compared to the one used during the pruning step of the CART algorithm. It is shown that the two criteria are similar under some specific margin assumptions. In practice, the tuning parameter of the CART penalty has to be calibrated by hold-out. Simulation studies are performed which confirm that the hold-out procedure mimics the form of the proposed penalized criterion

Classification algorithms using adaptive partitioning

Algorithms for binary classification based on adaptive tree partitioning are formulated and analyzed for both their risk performance and their friendliness to numerical implementation. The algorithms can be viewed as generating a set approximation to the Bayes set and thus fall into the general category of set estimators. In contrast with the most studied tree-based algorithms, which utilize piecewise constant approximation on the generated partition [IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory 52 (2006) 1335-1353; Mach. Learn. 66 (2007) 209-242], we consider decorated trees, which allow us to derive higher order methods. Convergence rates for these methods are derived in terms the parameter $\alpha$ of margin conditions and a rate $s$ of best approximation of the Bayes set by decorated adaptive partitions. They can also be expressed in terms of the Besov smoothness $\beta$ of the regression function that governs its approximability by piecewise polynomials on adaptive partition. The execution of the algorithms does not require knowledge of the smoothness or margin conditions. Besov smoothness conditions are weaker than the commonly used H\"{o}lder conditions, which govern approximation by nonadaptive partitions, and therefore for a given regression function can result in a higher rate of convergence. This in turn mitigates the compatibility conflict between smoothness and margin parameters.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/14-AOS1234 the Annals of Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org